93
by Melancholy of the Cello
Summary: "We cannot banish dangers, but we can banish fears. We must not demean life by standing in awe of death." David Sarnoff In a time of war, a mortally injured Sasuke knocks on the door of a helpful pacifist. AU-ish. SasuHina. I don't own Naruto.
1. Prologue

**Title: 93**

**Summary: "We cannot banish dangers, but we can banish fears. We must not demean life by standing in awe of death." ~David Sarnoff **

**In a time of war, a mortally injured Sasuke knocks on the door of a helpful pacifist.**

**Yea, I started another fan fiction. Couldn't help it. SasuHina has been on my mind lately. After much brainstorming, I finally found an idea that I could stick with and now...ta-da! _93_. This _is _during the Fourth Ninja War but it was not started by Madara here because I felt that the Akatsuki (4 people) versus the rest of the shinobi world wasn't so fair. :D It's AU-is b/c of how I changed background stories of some characters and things like that but there are still shinobi/kunoichi. I thought this up when I was listening to the Schindler's List theme for the fifty-ith time.**

**I'm not one to troll for reviews too much. Only review if you want to, don't feel obliged to.**

**~M.o.t.C**

* * *

War is ugly. It is ugly not only by its appearance; its smell of burning, suffering nature; the sight of blood-stained grass; the sight of open, lifeless eyes; the visual of countless dead men and horses pleading with their eyes for their owners to help them stand, longing for freedom from the terror of battle. It's not ugly only by the smell of decaying flesh or the sound of its soldiers crying for the only thing it can offer them: death. War is not measured only by the sound bombs bursting in air or the taste of salty tears as they roll down loved-ones faces. War is also ugly in the way that it affects the people involved and the bystanders. War kills not just the soldier, but the family and the community of that soldier as well whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally. Fighting in such an intense long-term battle can make the soldier go through something small like combat stress reaction to something more major like post-traumatic-stress disorder. It attacks more than just the exterior of a person, but also the interior. The brain. The soul. Those things.

Hyuuga Hinata hated war and everything that went with it. It was a terrible thing and almost never had any positive outcome. She had seen and felt too much of the aforementioned to support it. For this reason, the navy blue haired teenager refused to help either sides of the war with anything. She was now a seventeen year old living in the Fourth Shinobi World War. The only thing she would do for the war was to help any wounded soldier that knocked on her door; no matter what side they were on. But even then, she only housed them for so long. After all, she had a younger sister that she needed to think about and exposing the young girl to war stories and the sound of the wounded crying out in pain at night, Hinata felt, was too much.

"H-Hanabi!" Hinata called her younger sister meekly, "dinner time."

Hanabi ran down the stairs of their small, quaint home that the two adolescents shared together. It was usually dark in the home, much like it is now. The only light came from the small lamp that hung scarcely above the dinner table. Hanabi looked up at it and moved her lilac eyeballs in the direction that the lamp swayed. It flickered ever so slightly every thirty seconds or so. The bolts holding the lamp to the ceiling seemed to loosen a little. The young girl shifted her eyes to her sister, who was now placing some sort of noodle dish in her bowl. It looked like the same thing they had last week for three days straight. Hanabi's prayers that they wouldn't have it again were apparently left unanswered.

"Udon again?" Hanabi sighed, "Can't we have something different?"

Hinata looked at her sister sternly, but then her gaze softened into a slight smile, "Sorry, y-you know about the rations and I hadn't had a chance to go t-the s-store."

"I can go!" Hanabi said eagerly, a smile spread across her face.

Hinata looked at the girl with the mahogany hair once more. She walked to the window next to the door and looked out of it thoughtfully...solemnly even. The seventeen year old girl raised her delicate hand and touched her reflection in the window softly, as if she thought that a single touch would make her reflection disappear.  
She turned to Hanabi, who had already put her coat and shoes on. Hinata chuckled at the sight, the girl knew her older sister too well.  
"Alright, go. Talk to no one. O-okay? Don't stop for a-anything. Get what you need and come s-straight back, a-alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the girl said and headed for the door. She reached for the knob before saying one more thing, "What happened to that soldier from Hoshigakure? I haven't seen him around."

Hinata bowed her head, that in itself was enough to tell Hanabi everything she needed to know. She walked up carefully to her sister and held her hand. Hinata's head shot up as she looked at the little girl, "It's okay, Hinata. You did the best you could. You can't save them all."

Hinata nodded solemnly, though secretly she wished that there was something she could have done to save the brave man. His injuries were just too great. It was a simple fact the Hyuga had to face. Disinfectants, bandages, and a damn good bowl of Udon wasn't always enough to cure someone; but it sure did make their final days more meaningful.


	2. Chapter 1

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. It's been a like an elaborate circus act trying to update all of my other stories. Or like a rocket launch...**

**Anyway, the next installment is here and sorry it took me so long. **

**~M.o.t.C**

* * *

Neji Hyuuga did not condone his little cousin taking in enemy soldiers into her home. He thought it was unethical and illogical that she helped his adversaries with a small girl living with her. She had always assured him that everything was safe and that she never let them stay too long. Neji had always vowed that he would protect Hinata and her sister Hanabi, but had always warned that he couldn't be there for her all of the time. He'd never admit it, but many hours out of the day the intelligent Hyuuga would wonder and worry about his cousins. They were all he had left and couldn't bare losing them to something as ridiculous as the two being good Samaritans.

Today, Neji was thinking the same thing; and as he sat at Hinata's kitchen he pondered bringing it up again. He had talked about it once before and if Hinata was not the nice girl that she was, he felt that no doubt the "conversation" they had would have become an argument in a matter of seconds. They had always had opposing views. Hinata usually thought on the happy side of things while Neji thought on the bad side. She always confronted him about his constant negative thinking and then he would counter her statements by saying...

"If I don't think about the negative outcomes of every decision in this house, who will?" he mumbles to himself.

Hinata never got mad at him, however. After all, he was fighting in this war they were in now and she knew how that could affect someone. Even after a week in a violent war like that, you're never the same. A person always goes through some sort of metamorphosis after a war. Some people stop taking life for granted and start appreciating it for what it is; some encase themselves in a bubble, blocking out the rest of the world, fearing everything around them; and some, like Neji Hyuuga, looked on the negative side of everything.

Hanabi skipped down the steps of their two story home and smiled at the sight of her cousin sitting at the kitchen table. She always liked when Neji came to visit. The house didn't seem so empty then. Of course, there were always wounded soldiers there, but it was never really fun or comforting. She barely knew those people and Hanabi could never really see beyond their scared faces, bloody bandages, and lifeless eyes. At least when Neji visited she could see him how he had always been, not what the war could make him.

The young girl ran to him immediately, wide-eyed and open-armed. Giving him a hug while he was still seated was a little awkward for both parties, but Hanabi didn't care. She was just happy to feel his warm touch again.

Neji smiled warmly at the girl, "How are you today, Hanabi?" he patted her head softly.

She smiled back, proceeding to talk to him about how Hinata has been very strict lately, her day, and solemnly, about the soldier that was at their house last week and died. She liked to tell him stories about her life. She could never do that with the soldiers that came by, it would be too risky, plus it would be awkward. And it always seemed like her older sister was too busy with helping the wounded soldiers to listen to her talk. Neji was the only one she felt listened enough and was trustworthy enough for her to have conversations with.

"Where's your sister now?" Neji asked after her numerous stories were over.

Hanabi shrugged, "She said something about the market and then the bank and something else but I tuned her out after that. Sometimes her voice just bores me."

Neji chuckled at her bluntness. The nine-year old girl was always one to say exactly what was on her mind. This was the complete opposite of Hinata, who was always shy and timid about expressing her feelings.

"Hey, Neji-kun," Hanabi spoke again after a moment of silence, "how's TenTen-san doing?"

Neji smiled at the predictability of his young cousin. Every time he visited she always asked about TenTen. Ever since the chignon-wearing, kunai wielding girl decided to stop by and say hello to Hinata on her way to HQ, Hanabi couldn't stop thinking about her. Maybe she was hoping every time she asked, TenTen would come with him the next time. He never understood why the nine-year-old found TenTen so interesting. Maybe it was her prodigy-like skill with weapons of every size and shape. Maybe it was her undeniable charm and wit. Maybe it was because she was the only person to dare to beat up Neji and not fear the consequences.

"She's doing fine," he replied with a smile, "she's supposed to be in Kumogakure by now, I think."

"Delivering medical supplies?" the young girl questioned him.

"No, this time its top secret files of some sort."

"Oh, a Class A."

In war, there are always allies and there are always enemies. The Land Fire was an ally of the Land of Snow, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind. Their enemies are the Land of Sound, the Land of Water and the Land of Earth. TenTen's and many other allies' jobs were to get supplies, equipment, information and anything else to other partners while keeping out of the eye of the enemy. Each side had made their own system of delivering these things. Neji and TenTen's side had a fairly simple system.

The priorities of the deliveries were organized into a Class. Class A was the most important and consisted of things like important information, delivery of enemy soldiers to prisons or out of enemy borders, S.O.S notes, attack warnings, et cetera. Class B was, obviously, one level less of priority than Class A. Class B consisted of information less important to the war and food and medical items (however, depending on the severity of the situation, medical and food items could be considered a Class A). Class C was the least important class of all three. This usually included letters or packages sent from civilians to other civilians. Many villagers refrain from sending things like that because it takes so long to get to the recipient. Since Class B and C are of less priority than a Class A, less ninja are dispatched to make sure they are delivered safely and it usually took longer for the delivery to get there.

Usually, Class A deliveries were kept secret from even the villagers of the country, to protect against leaked information to an adversary. But, as long as no detailed information like where the item was to be delivered was disclosed to any civilian, it was fine to say something once and a while.

"When do you go back to fight?" Hanabi asked after a few seconds of silence. Neji frowned. It sounded she was mourning his death already.

"Whenever the Hokage needs me to," he said simply, as if it were no big deal if he left or if he didn't.

Hanabi was about to ask him another question, when Hinata stepped through the front door carrying bags of food and other items. Closing the door with her foot, Hinata stepped into the kitchen and set the bags on the table in front of her dearest cousin.

"Hello, Hinata," Neji greeted, smiling lovingly at the young woman in front of him.

"H-hi, Neji, how are y-you?" Hinata smiled back.

They exchanged words like that for a while. It was always the same conversations. One asked how the other was doing and the other would promptly answer; then that person would ask the same question and the other would answer. And then a silence only to be broken by a nine-year old girl who did not like the sound of no sound.

Neji and Hinata had always had a distant relationship. Sometimes when they were younger, they would cross paths, but neither would say anything to the other. There was really no need to say anything. Neither Neji nor Hinata felt it necessary to talk to each other. They were in two different branches of a family where something like what branch you were from mattered. Their relationship was strained from the moment they were born. However, now a tragedy has brought them together. Since then, they've been building their relationship and have become great friends. Yet, they are greatly out of practice because their refusal to communicate earlier. Therefore, they still cannot carry on a proper conversation.

"W-would you like t-to stay for dinner N-N-Neji?" Hinata stammered nervously.

She always stumbled on her words like that. Many thought it was a severe lack of confidence. They could be right. She was never a person to think she could do anything. She never thought she was strong. Whenever she was put to the test, she always thought failure was the only thing the Hyuuga could accomplish. Many thought it was the effect of problems at home. Those people could be right, but less so than the former theory. There wasn't much wrong with her personal life. She got along fine with Hanabi, only because of the big age difference. The only problems she'd ever had were how her clan viewed her...How her own father viewed her. But, that was history now. Hinata used to cry herself to sleep after realizing some of the things her own family had said about her. But now, that didn't matter. She was going to prove that she was capable of being strong. She was capable of anything. She would prove that she could be capable of more than failure. All it would take is surviving this war with Hanabi...with no one but Neji to help.

Hinata looked at her cousin. He looked unhappy. Well, no, he always looked some degree unhappy, but this was different. It was more like he looked...worried. Many times his visits were to share unhappy news or something ascertaining to the war. Hinata secretly prayed at that moment that it wasn't news of a death. Anything but a death.

"Hanabi," Hinata called for her sister, "go wash up for dinner, okay?"

Hanabi was about to object. She had caught on a while ago that when Hinata told her to go do something and her friends or Neji were around, it was usually so she and that person could talk about something she didn't want the girl to hear. Besides, Hinata had not even made dinner. She would probably get them dirty again before they finally did eat. Hanabi was about to object. But, that was until she saw the look on Neji's face and decided that it wasn't worth it. It was probably something she didn't want to hear anyway.

Taking one last look at her family, she darted up the stairs to wait until she was sure they were done talking.

"You know she's probably caught on to that little ruse you keep pulling, right?" Neji said after a moment of silence.

"Neji," Hinata replied in a "no-joking" tone, "what's wrong?"

Neji sighed, "I can't bring myself to tell her."

Hinata sighed a little. This did not sound like the beginning of reporting a death. It was more like the start of a plea for advice. But then Neji continued after a plight of silence from his cousin.

"TenTen died five days ago, Hinata," he said finally, his voice a bit hoarse.

This was a shock to Hinata's system. Her once lively eyes changed into dull, mournful ones. Yet another victim of war has been claimed. She couldn't help but shed a tear. TenTen was a pure soul; a type of person you couldn't find often. More than that, she meant something to someone who meant something to her.

Neji and TenTen had been friends since they were teamed together with Lee. The three of them were bonded by their jobs and it seemed that not even death could sever those bonds. For what seemed like a few seconds, the two were a little more than just friendly comrades and this fact is what killed Hinata more inside. He was so happy with her.

Neji had always said Hanabi and Hinata were all he had left. Only now did those words really affect the timid young woman. They really were all he had to hold on to.

Hinata knelt down and took hold of Neji's hand and held it there for a while. The two had not said one word to each other. But really, nothing needed to be said. But both were just content to mourn in silence. The dark-haired ninja glanced up at her older cousin. His eyes were empty, but something about that...

"N-Neji," Hinata started, she did not wait for a reply, "you know something? You do-don't have to be the s-strong one all the t-time. I'm not one of your war buddies...you can cry, you c-can scream...y-you can reach out to me. It's only me. I'm o-only your cousin and I l-l-love you."

Neji only looked at her with those same dead eyes. He was defeated. And a defeated Neji was not the Neji she came to know and love. Hinata stood and opened her arms wide, welcoming her cousin to let out any emotions he may have kept bottled up inside. The mourning Hyuuga still did not budge.

"Neji," Hinata pleaded, "please...It's n-not good to keep things like th-this bottled up."

Neji took one more lasting look at his younger cousin and eventually gave in. He stood and let Hinata embrace him. Feeling warmth again after so long on the battlefield, he hugged her back. The two relatives stood like that for a long time and for a brief second, Hinata thought she could hear the stoic ninja sniff and then let out a big breath that he might have been holding for a long time. It was as if releasing it earlier would instantly make him shed a river of tears.

"I am so sorry, Neji-kun," Hinata whispered in his ear, "If you want, I can tell Hanabi?"

He didn't answer, but, Hinata was okay with that. Things like this shouldn't be rushed so much. They were still hugging and the woman Hyuuga was perfectly content to stay that way. She would do whatever it took to make her cousin feel a little better. She knew it would take a very long time for him to heal as best as anyone in this situation can. But, Hinata always knew that even after years and years of healing from tragic situations, scars will always remain.

* * *

**Wow. 7 pages? This time I wrote this chapter solely on Industrial bands and Miyavi (_Papa Mama Nozomare nu Baby_ to be exact)...okay, and then some more Schindler's List. I'm only saying stuff like this because only in this story does it seem to matter what I listen to. I don't know, I guess it helps me get in the mood of the story...**

**Yea, there's a little dash of NejiTen in here. Sorry for those you who don't think Neji and TenTen belong together...I'm not a _huge_ fan of the pairing only because it doesn't really stand out as much to me as NaruHina or SasuHina...But, it does seem like an appropriate pairing for right now.**

**At any rate, I'm going to shut up now and get working on more updates!**

**Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 2

Uchiha Sasuke must have crawled about one-fourth of a mile by now. At least he hoped so. While he crawled, he started to think critically about these past few weeks. The eighteen year-old Sharingan user wasn't one to over think things or look back to the past, but something about dragging your body through all sorts of terrain to find at least one place of sane civilization to rest at made him want to try it.

Well first, he was drafted into this ridiculous war. Sasuke was a person who liked to pick his battles before boldly jumping into them. This battlebetween countries for self-control did not give him the option of choice. If he had a choice, he probably would have chosen not to fight in it. It was pointless to fight, as it was only a fight over land and power, nothing like honor or rights. Any battle that does not offer moral benefit is not worth fighting. Well, at least that was what Sasuke thought.

War is just another smaller term for social malfunction. A natural occurrence in nature. A common subconscious thought in the mind of men. Et cetera. It is a necessary part of the flow of time and space. Without it, the balance of all living things would surely go out of whack. It is just as necessary as the air that is to be breathed, the heart that is designed to beat in a body.

This is why Sasuke did not mind war. He did not mind war in general because it was only natural. It was what's supposed to happen. But this war...there was something about it that did not sit right with him. And it wasn't because he now had to fight in one or because now he could not walk, but because something told him something was going to happen that has never happened in any war he had ever seen before. Something either punishing, or maybe even rewarding.

"Hm, I'm not making any sense to myself, am I?" he mumbles to himself now.

He was starting to wonder whether the loss of blood was contributing to the delirium he was feeling right at that moment. He needed to find some place to go. Fresh blood marked a path as he dragged his body further away from ally territory and closer to a civilization in which he was sure would not welcome him. But as his friend and life-long enemy had always said:

"I'm not going to give up now..."-feeling sentimental and possibly more delirious, Sasuke whispered his friend's famous words to himself-"believe it."

Nostalgic. Isn't it, Sasuke Uchiha?

Trudging on through the less familiar terrain, Sasuke continued to think about this past week. The young Uchiha was never the social type. At school, he spoke only when spoken to or asked to speak, he refrained from sitting with others at lunch, and never socialized much with the kids in his class. He liked it that way though. There was something beneficial about isolation. You thought a lot about things that you wouldn't normally think about with others around you. Sort of like what he was doing now. It gave him ample time to rethink the things he had done in his life.

Moving on, Sasuke remembered not much about this week. He had hit his head pretty hard in some accident that happened before this very event that he couldn't quite place. Maybe that's another contributing factor as to why he was contemplating more than he usually did in war. He, in truth, was desperately trying to figure out what had happened. Desperately trying to find out why he was feeling so...empty today. Uchiha Sasuke had lost very important pieces to the puzzle that he was putting together in his head and was at a loss as to how to get them back.

"What am I forgetting...?" he mumbled to himself as he continued to move forward.

Despite the fatigue he was feeling, the raven haired shinobi did not let himself give up. He could feel how close he was getting. The horizon was only a little bit further...  
Only a little bit further.

* * *

Hinata wasn't expecting a letter. She wasn't expecting any more news. Her hands shook as she read the small note in her hand. Her knees felt weak as her eyes scrolled through the frail piece of paper. The Hyuuga's lilac colored eyes widened as she continued to mumble the contents of the note to herself. It wasn't a death. It was a hospitalization. But even then, the patient was in intensive care.

"What's wrong?" a voice spoke in the midst of silence. It made Hinata jump a little and sigh at the realization that it was only her little sister, Hanabi.

"H-h-he he he he..." Hinata stuttered over and over, unable to finish her sentence. The young woman sighed and breathed heavily, in and out, in and out. She tried to start over, "He is in intensive care."

"Who is?" Hanabi questioned her sobbing older sister, "Please don't say it's Neji! Not Neji...right?" now even the confident Hanabi Hyuuga was choking over her words.

"N-no, n-no, not him at all. It's Naruto; h-he might not make it."

* * *

Sasuke had finally arrived on the top of a large hill, well beyond the border. It was the dead of night, stars and the bright, glowing moon clearly visible. There were a few homes on the hillside, only three had lights on that were clearly visible from the window. The hard part was over. He had three homes to choose from. The hard part was deciding which home would possibly even consider taking in Sasuke for at least the night. He was enemy territory, so the chance of that happening was very,very, slim.

"Practically non-existant," he whispered to himself as he took one last look at the options.

Sasuke decided that there was no logical way of going about this. There was no probability formula that he could perform to see which home was the plausible option, there was no one with him to go for him to eliminate an option. All he could do is wing it and hope for the best. He ended up choosing the home on the far left. Only a few more yards to crawl and hopefully...he'd be home free.

Sasuke realized he was losing consciousness fast. Crawling all of that way losing, blood every inch of the trek, of course he'd feel a little woozy. He was finally at the door. The problem was, he couldn't stand and he was short enough as it was, so reaching the doorbell was pretty difficult. But, hey, he's a ninja. Enduring trying situations is all ninjas do. Using the doorhenge as support, he tried to lift himself up enough to at least give a good knock.

He had fallen back down plenty of times, but had gotten up an equal amount. He wasn't about to give up when he had basically made it! Lifting his body up one more time, he gave two forceful bangs on the door before collapsing to the ground again. His eyes were closing, feeling a heavy weight on them, and the Uchiha finally understood that just maybe another day of living just wasn't meant to be.

That was until he saw a little girl standing at the open door. Her shocked eyes studied his body a little, and realizing the extent of his injuries, she mumbled rushed words that Sasuke couldn't quite understand and ran back inside shouting the name...

"Hinata! Hinata! Hurry up! There's another one and he looks really, really bad!"

_Oh wow, thanks, _the injured Sharingan user said sarcastically to himself, _I think they might _actually _take me in...do they realize that I am their __enemy?_

The little girl had left so quickly she might not have seen the band around his arm, the one with the symbol of Sound village symbol in red. It signified that he was indeed an enemy ninja to this territory he was in now. Everyone in his military had to wear one.

Soon enough, the same small girl came back. But this time, she was with a another girl who looked to be about Sasuke's age. She had long, navy blue-like hair, and friendly, lilac eyes, even though now they were widened in panic and shock. Her skin was pale and seemed fragile...she herself seemed very...breakable.

"A-ah, Hanabi..go draw a bath alright? H-hurry up!"

The little girl started to run back into the home but then the older of the two stopped her.

"W-wait! Help me get him in here first. He's an enemy so w-we have to hurry up before anyone can s-see him!" she yelled, but still maintaining a quiet tone.

"Alright," the young girl agreed and said that she could lift him by the feet.

Taking one look at her small, childish frame Sasuke thought to himself, _Somehow __I seriously doubt that_.

Nonetheless, Hanabi stepped outside and started lifting both of Sasuke's limp, numb legs and Hinata began with holding his arms. All the while, Sasuke started to think of anything more degrading than this. He couldn't think of anything. The girl was surprisingly strong for her age, a strength usually only acquired by ninja.

As the two females lifted and walked the dozing Uchiha into their home, Sasuke couldn't help but feel very grateful for everything they were doing...and _extremely_ lucky.

But, before the male ninja could thank them, he found himself in a closed bathroom with the one he knew now was named Hinata. The tub was filled with  
warm water and that was all. He could feel himself going red as Hinata started to take off his vest and shirt.

"I-I'm sorry!" she apologized as if she could feel Sasuke's discomfort, "but you've got a lot of wounds so I-I think just cl-cleaning you and your wounds now would be best. Th-then I'll dress them and give you some other cl-clothes, okay?" Sasuke only nodded, calming himself a little.

After his shirt was carefully put to the side, the nervous young woman proceeded to take off his shoes, ninja gear bags, and bandages that were already in place on his legs and hands. Next came the thing that neither Sasuke nor the timid Hinata wanted. Hinata's hands shook nervously as she started to unbutton the injured ninja's pants. She looked up at the boy for what seemed like a millisecond and then asked him, "Do you think you can do this part?"

This was a very small shock to Sasuke's system. Usually girls would be dying to get into his pants but she...she seemed very reluctant to do any of this at all. He nodded and started to pull himself out of his pants, which was more difficult than he thought it would be. His legs were surely broken so manipulating them out of the garment was going to be very difficult. Plus, every time he moved his legs they ached in pain. This was humiliating. He could only imagine how he looked in front of her. Like an overly confident fool who can't admit when he needs help. But, she didn't seem phased. She didn't look like she was holding back laughter or feeling pity or sympathy for him. She just...waited patiently.

"Do you need help?" she asked finally. There was no mocking, no impatience in her voice. He nodded once, taking a major bruise to his ego.

He had gotten as far as his lower thigh, only sitting on it a little bit before he had asked for her assistance. He supposed he should be proud that he could at least do that. At least...he could do _something_for himself. Hinata helped him get the pants off the rest of the way, lifting his legs to help, which made him wince a few times.

And the part that Hinata had spent time bracing herself for. Sasuke could see he young woman blush as she apologized again and told him that she wasn't going to look at "him" when she proceeded to take off his underwear. He could feel himself going hot as well. But, she indeed did not look. She did not look when she helped him into the tub. Sasuke couldn't look at _her_. It was all just too humiliating.

She washed all of the dirt off of his body and then continued to wipe the  
wounds a little. She spoke as she did so, "I-I'm just cleaning off all the dirt that could be near your wounds so that their will be no risk of infection when I b-bandage t-them, al-alright?"-Sasuke nodded-"What's y-your name?" she asked the enemy ninja as she washed him.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said to her quietly, as if he were ashamed of that name. The young man looked down into the water he was sitting in. It was getting murky with dirt and blood. Red swam around with green and brown and only then did Sasuke realize how dirty he really was.

Hinata wrung out the towel and put it aside, grabbed another one, and started to wash his face with it with water from the sink. She sat shocked at the amount of grime in his hair and told herself to be sure to wash it later. As she moved and maneuvered through his dark, matted locks, she started seeing signs of a big wound on Sasuke's forehead. Moving to the left temple,she saw it. There was a huge gash on the side of the ninja's head.

"S-Sasuke!" she yelped, but then covered her mouth and apologized for the outburst.

"H-h-how did you hit your head...l-like _this_?" she stuttered, examining the large wound.

Sasuke hissed at her touch; the wounds all stung mercilessly. He tried hard to remember how that happened. In fact, he didn't even know he had a gash on his head. The injured ninja told Hinata that he didn't know how he had gotten that injury or many of the others that were all over his now scared body.

"That's alright," she said and smiled, "I-I'm not surprised. I ha-have to get that covered up quickly b-before any in-infection gets to it."

Hinata helped him out of the dirty tub, still not looking at him, and helped him dry off. Then, Hanabi had come back with a pair of underwear which Hinata helped the young soldier into before applying disinfectant to the numerous amount of wounds on his body. He held back shouts of pain from the alcohol seeping into his open flesh. He _had _to hold onto some sort of masculinity. And men don't cry, or whine like little girls...right?

"I'm sorry about this, I kn-know it hurts," the indigo haired girl apologized sympathetically, "b-but I don-don't want you to get infected. Some-sometimes it helps to distract yourself. Tell m-me about your-yourself. I-I mean, i-if you want..."

Sasuke was getting irritated with her constant stuttering. She was a nice girl, but she was way too timid. No guy likes a girl with no confidence. He was about to call her out on it, but he guessed if he did she would start crying or something. So he held his tongue.

"There's not much ah...to tell-ow-about me. I got drafted into this war-ah-and it's only been a week and I'm already seriously injured."

"Wh-what are your interests?" she asked him as she finished disinfecting the wound on his head.

"I'm not really interested in much. Being a ninja is all I'm really good at-god _damn it_!"

He cringed as she applied the last of the medicine to his forehead. It stung like hell.

"I am sorry!" Hinata aplogized strongly, "I might have put a little too much th-that t-time."

"_You think?_" Sasuke shouted. He realized how ungrateful he was sounding and apologized for his outburst. He thanked her for everything she was doing. He expected to look at the girl's face and see anger, regret even. But, when he glanced over at her, he saw a smile. It was timid and small but yes, it was a smile.

"It's o-okay and you're welcome," she said, "I-I-I'm glad to h-have you."

This girl, Sasuke wasn't so sure about her. He thought he had already figured her out like he had so many other girls. But, this girl...she's different. He had only known her for about an hour, but it felt like he had just met her...that they hadn't even said hello yet, it felt like he was just now learning her name.

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata, by t-the way," she had said once he was bandaged in a nice pair of clean clothes, "Nice to meet you. O-oh, and you're going to-to need st-stitches on your arm and head."

* * *

**Okay...I'm going to start trolling for reviews now. It's just, really want to know what you think so that I can make sure I'm on the right track. Apparently, free will is not going to get me the results I'm looking for so...REVIEW! NOW! (Please? :)**

**Does it really matter what I listened to? I didn't keep track anyway.**

**A little advice: DO NOT view the draft of your story on a PSP if you wrote it in Gmail in the draft! It craps up your formatting...So: Gmail+draft-PSP= -formatting**

**Yup. See ya next time!**

**~M.o.t.C**


	4. Chapter 3

**This chapter came quick because for some reason I couldn't wait to write it. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Please review if you can. Thank you for all of the great feedback and comments!**

**Listened to: Basically OSTs from the anime _Le Portrait de Petite Cossette. _Yuki Kajiura FTW!**

**~M.o.t.C**

* * *

Hinata was up with her new "patient" all night applying stitches, dressing wounds, having the next door neighbor (who just so happened to be the only doctor in the small town) put the wounded ninja in two casts, one for each leg and then washed his hair. Hanabi had long since gone to sleep. She, for a long while, had insisted that she stay up and help her older sister, but after much debating, the young girl went upstairs defeated.

Hinata dried her hands on the towel she used to dry Uchiha Sasuke's hair after a thorough washing. She smiled slightly at the product of her hard work.

"S-Sasuke? I'm done now. Y-you must be t-tired. There's a r-r-room across the foyer that you can sleep in. W-will you be alright there?"

The raven-haired soldier held back his anger. This was all just happening too fast. One day, he was one of the most feared members in his battalion, crushing enemy forces five times more than your average soldier and then one day you're being carted around in a wheelchair by a timid woman who's only true purpose in life is to take care of fallen soldiers and do work best suited for housewives.  
The way he made her job sound, you think that the pity should fall on the caregiver. Her body was frail but toned and it had been evident that she worked out often. Being the observant person he was, Sasuke noticed kunai strewn about on the floor. Being this good with medical supplies and knowing apparently a lot about the human anatomy and not being a certified doctor...she had to be a medic-nin. Not to mention, she had the Byakugan. Hyuuga's were ninja. All of them. It'd be such a waste of optical kekkei genkai if they weren't. She had to be a kunoichi. Or at least, she _used _to be a kunoichi. If that were the case, why wasn't she a ninja anymore? Why wasn't she fighting in the war?  
Nonetheless, you probably would think that a retired ninja who was probably only eighteen years of age who was taking care shinobi that are so helpless they can't even bathe by themselves would be the one deserving pity.

_But no, she isn't the one deserving of pity._ I _am. Here I am attacking her about what she chooses to do when I've made so many bad choices...when she's the one helping _me.

Sasuke was taking out his anger on her. He was angry that he couldn't walk, that he could do anything without her being there, that he, the high-and-mighty Uchiha Sasuke, was helpless.

"I know you're mad," Hinata said as if she had been reading his mind that entire time, "I-I bet your feeling upset that I ha-have to help you with things...I'm sorry about th-that. I just want you-you to know that I-I'm not here to judge you or make you fe-feel any worse than you pro-probably already do. So, so, you shouldn't either."

Sasuke knew she was right. There was no point in making this experience any more negative that it already was. But, his already bruised ego couldn't allow him to get over it. It was almost laughable how Hinata seemed to understand his situation better than he did. But then again, she lived and breathed situations like this probably everyday. This simple notion popped a question into the Uchiha's head.

"Hinata...how many people like me do you get each week?"

Hinata started wheeling him through the house to the room in which he was to stay. The wheels rolled smoothly against the wood floor, yet made small creaking noises every so often. She had mumbled something and Sasuke was about to ask her what she said but then the petite caregiver turned on a light in a small bedroom. It was plain, like the rest of the house, with wood floors but came with an equally boring queen sized bed.  
Hinata pushed Sasuke further into the room. Getting a better view of the room, the shinobi could see a small closet on the left wall and a dresser on the wall across from the bed.

"I-it's really boring but...it's all I've got," she said once they were both inside.

"It's fine. Thank you so much for this," Sasuke thanked gratefully. Hinata nodded.

Hinata started to leave after helping Sasuke get into the bed and tucking him in like a little boy. She walked to the door and placed her hand on the light switch. With her back to him she said, "I-if there's anything you need, just ask, o-okay?"  
The injured shinobi mumbled a "hmm" and Hinata turned off the light.  
"Oh, and S-Sasuke?" Hinata called for him before shutting the door behind her, "T-to answer your question from before: I only have received one person like you. And th-they _are_ you." She turned and flashed the boy a quick smile before taking leave, shutting the door behind her.

Once alone in the darkness, Sasuke help but relieve himself of a small little chuckle.  
_It took her that long to come up with a corny thing to say like that?_

* * *

"Did you sleep well?"

_Who the hell...?_

At first, the Sharingan user thought that the voice he was hearing at that moment was Hinata. But, this voice was younger. It maintained child-like pitch; the deepness of a voice changed by puberty was not existent in this girl's tonality. Yet, it was more... forceful than that of the capricious Hyuuga. It was demanding and completely emphasized self-confidence. Whoever this was, she was the complete opposite of Hinata.

Sasuke turned his head to face the little girl who seemed to be so unlike the person he was expecting to see first. It was indeed Hyuuga Hinata's little sister. The injured Uchiha couldn't place the little girl's name; too much pain and fatigue and not enough shit to give this early in the morning to care about what her name was. (Because Sasuke never gives a shit about anything that has nothing to do with him.) Her face, though cute and pudgy from baby fat still present in her cheeks, was hard...cold even. The look in her Byakugan eyes was a little playful but serious and was a look that commanded obidience as well. She wasn't much like Hinata at all, Sasuke gathered just from her face and the words she had just spoken only minutes ago. Hinata would have greeted him with a smile, a stutter or two and about a million other questions.

The wounded nineteen year old started to realize that he was just staring at her. He hadn't answered her question or made any move to speak at all. He opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it. Maybe if he didn't talk she'd go away. Little girls like her were always chatty, no matter how mature they acted.

"Did you sleep well?" the little girl asked him again. But this time, her voice had a hint of...what was that? Was that _annoyance _Sasuke just heard?

It took everything within the man'spower not to activate his Sharingan and throw her into his Tsukiyomi genjutsu. He didn't like the fact that this little girl was copping an _attitude_ with him.

"No," he answered. It _was _true. He had a monster headache that night and his arm and legs ached like crazy. He supposed the adrenaline that helped him through that little trek to this town had long since worn off and now he was feeling pain all over.

"My sister's gone out for the moment," the brunette haired girl explained, completely ignoring his statement about his discomfort, "you're going to have to deal with me until she gets back. Is there something you want?"

_Yeah, you out of my sight. _Sasuke thought to himself.

"No," he said out loud.

The girl shrugged, spun on her heels and started to walk out of the room. She stopped at the door and said, "I bet you're hungry though. Hinata left some breakfast for you. I know you need the wheelchair but I can't help you get in that thing and then push you around...I may be strong but I'm not _that_ strong so...If you want it, I'll bring it here for you. Just call me."

Sasuke mumbled a "Hn," and turned his head back up so that he was now looking at the tiny dots on the ceiling that the eggshell white paint made.

As the little girl left the room, the wounded shinobi could have sworn he heard her say something like, "He just _had_ to make things so difficult! How the heck do you break _both_ of your legs? And then he has the nerve to ignore me!" from the hallway.

Sasuke sneered. _He_ would show her how you can break _both _of your legs!

* * *

It was official. Hinata Hyuuga would probably be the best housewife this world has ever known. It isn't because of her unbelievable hospitality towards people, it isn't the fact she was a natural born caregiver or that she somehow made a small house like hers look enormously big. It was the simple fact that Hyuuga Hinata was one_ damn good_cook. Maybe it was the weeks and weeks of being served plain oatmeal stale toasted bread and milk everyday of the week in the army talking, but this was the best breakfast that Uchiha Sasuke had ever had. Period. He hated to admit it to himself, but this even put his mother's cooking to shame.

"Do you like it?"

Sasuke froze, a fork still in his mouth. Where the heck was this girl coming from all of the time? First he wakes up to her voice and now, while he's eating he has to be listening to her questions again?

"Yes," he responded flatly, "your sister is a good cook."

The girl nodded, her head kept low. Maybe she was just...curious about him? Sasuke was not one to enjoy scrutiny, especially by little children. But, he decided that since she look pretty lonely, seeing as Hinata wasn't here still, he'd entertain her for a little.

But then she spoke, "You know, you could have called me by my name. I have a name, you know."

Earlier, before the shinobi got to enjoy this delicious meal, he first had to call the small girl to get it for him. As mentioned before, he had no idea what her name was (nor did he really care) so he had called her by a simple title, "Hinata's sister". Apparently, being known to someone as "Hinata's sister" was not something the child liked.

"You neglected to tell me your name," Sasuke reminded her.

"You neglected to ask," the girl shot back, "How would you like it if I called you 'Boy who is a cripple'?"

Ah-ha. So she's using jokes now, eh? Two can play at that game. Two _could _play at that game, rather. But, unfortunately for the little girl, Sasuke did not like games.

"Are you really saying that me calling you 'Hinata's sister' is as degrading as being called a cripple? Your voice and the way you looked at me told me that you feel that they are equivalent in rank." he said, raising his eyebrow sarcastically. He was really just talking out of his ass, he couldn't read body language as well as the girl probably thought he could.

The girl's eyes widened in shock, her face grew pale, "O-of course not.I w-was j-just pointing o-out..." she stuttered for the first time that day.

"Are you ashamed of your sister? What for?" the crippled boy pushed her. This _was _entertaining, might as well milk it for all it's worth.

Maybe he pushed her a little too far because before he knew it, she was shaking and whimpering, her head was down. Maybe she was trying to hold back tears. She looked only about eight after all and he was already mentally challenging her.

The two enemies heard a door slam shut and heard bags being dropped on a table. The little girl's head shot up, her eyes dry. She had effectively avoided crying, but the pain of his words were still in her eyes. Sasuke knew then that she knew he was right. The girl _was _ashamed of Hinata. But what for?

"Hanabi!" they heard the timid caregiver call for her sister,"I'm back with some of the th-things you wanted!"

"Why are you ashamed?" Sasuke asked Hanabi again.

Hinata had walked into the room after looking for her little sister in hers. She knew the girl liked to meet the new guests when they arrived. She stepped into the room with a smile on her face, "Good morning, Sasuke! G-good morning, H-Hanabi-"

Be she could properly finish her sentence, the younger sibling ran out of the room with her head down. She had knocked a confused Hinata out of the way to do so.

"W-what, w-what happened?" Hinata asked the shinobi once she collected herself.

"I don't know," he lied, "I just wanted to know her name."


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's been so long. I was fixing up some of my stories and adding a new one (for the last time) and taking a little R&R. So without further adieu, _93_ chapter 4.**

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The next few mornings were a little awkward in the Hyuuga household. Hanabi made every effort to avoid the Uchiha as he rolled himself from room to room. She didn't speak to him unless Hinata had instructed her to do so and Sasuke never had any intentions of speaking to her, so he didn't mind. But, Hinata had noticed this hostility and decided to confront her younger sister about it.

"Did Sasuke do something?" she asked the young girl while Sasuke slept.

"Oh, so now you're on a first name basis with these people?" Hanabi said icily.

Hinata had never before been on a first name basis with one of the soldiers staying there. She usually just referred to them as "soldier" or "ninja" when talking about them to her sister.

"Y-you're right…aren't y-you? Alright, fine. Did the soldier do anything?"

"He's a jerk."

Hinata let out a heavy sigh. She had feared that it he had been doing something much worse. But just because he didn't wake up on the right side of the bed wasn't cause for the young woman to be alarmed.

"Hanabi," Hinata began, hoping that the next thing she was about to say would make sense as to why the enemy soldier was acting the way he was, "when you're in a situation like his, you can get very…irritable. You see, h-he's a man and I'm a woman. Being c-c-cared for by a woman like me…it's…he may find it emasculating."

"What's that?" the young girl asked.

"She's calling me a pussy," Sasuke had chimed in. He rolled into the kitchen with a plate on his lap. He was moving a lot quicker than when he first got into the chair.

"S-Sasuke!" Hinata exclaimed. Her face was stricken with red blush. Her eyes went wide from his use language.

"Oh, sorry," the soldier apologized. But it didn't sound so apologetic, "She means to say that it's not that I hate children, it's just that this wheelchair I'm in is making me pissed off because I know I can't get out of it. Apparently the fact that I can still kill you both without the use of my legs or that I can still piss without assistance doesn't make me seem masculine or manly. The only thing that matters is that I still need her to do everything else."

Hanabi gave her sister a look that asked for confirmation of the man's words. Hinata nodded, "Something like that."

Sasuke tossed the yellow plate that was once on his lap into the kitchen sink and continued to roll his wheelchair to the direction of the bathroom. Hinata jumped at the sound of the dish clattering to the bottom of the iron sink.

"Sasuke! You can't put food in that sink! The disposal doesn't work!" Hinata rushed to the sink after hearing the bathroom door close. It had only been six days since his arrival and she had already observed how indifferent and uncaring of others feelings he was.

She picked up the plate and realized how clean it was. It was like he did everything but lick the plate itself. The Hyuuga couldn't help but smile. She had always been told her cooking was good, but no one had ever clean the plate so well. Maybe he was just hungry…or maybe he really enjoyed her cooking. He'd never said anything, but then again, that was another thing about this mysterious ninja: he had never been really honest with his feelings with her.

Hinata Hyuuga _knew_ he did feel emasculated and she was sure he knew that's how he felt, too. He was just putting on the tough guy mask to disguise how helpless he really felt. Hinata had been telling him every day that if he ever needed _anything_ that he should feel very free to ask her. Maybe he didn't get the hint in her voice that implied more than just an occasional cup of coffee or a replacing of bandages.

She resolved to try to understand him more. The Byakugan user didn't understand why she felt like she had to get to know him better, but it couldn't hurt to try. She thought then just maybe Hanabi might warm up to him as well. After all, she had never had a problem with any other guest before.

Eight minutes later, Sasuke rolled back into and through the kitchen, making his way back to his room. Hinata had just come out of her own room, dressed in a sleeveless jacket and knee length black shorts. Her hair was tied back out of her face into a ponytail.

"S-Sasuke?" she mumbled his name.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering; would you like to go outside with me? I…It is really beautiful and it looks like you could use the sunshine."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. What the hell does that mean?

"Please?" she pleaded, "I'd really appreciate the company."

Sasuke shrugged, which Hinata had learned to take as an okay. She wheeled him out through the backdoor that was across from Hanabi's bedroom and they were both instantly greeted by a large backyard and a very beautiful garden. Flowers of all shapes and sizes and colors filled the plentiful land. Lush green grass seemed to run on for miles, despite the fence that divided the land.

"I really like coming out here wh-when I need to think," Hinata whispered to him, or seemed to whisper. She always talked so low the Uchiha could never tell the difference.

"Did you do this?" he asked her, his eyes were unconsciously wide, amazed at the scenery before him.

"Yes. It turns out that g-gardening is very relaxing t-to me."

"Hn," the Uchiha sighed.

He had to admit, it was very serene and relaxing. It was peaceful and quiet. Sasuke had spent so long dodging genjutsu traps and paper bombs that the calmness of the garden washed over him like a tidal wave. He suddenly felt tired and his tense muscles relaxed. The shinobi yawned and rested his head on the back of his wheelchair. His eyes started to shut ever so slowly. He was drifting listlessly into a much needed rest. The anxiety of the journey kept him sleepy, but the pain he was feeling was keeping him awake.

Oh, the pain. In the mornings, he'd wake up to searing pain in his eyes. He thought that maybe it was an effect of the Sharingan, though he couldn't recall ever using it in Hinata's home. Why would he? The whole thing with Hanabi was just a thought that popped into his head for a small moment. Never would he act on it. He'd have been kicked out of the home so fast not even Tsukiyomi could slow it down. The fact that he could not remember anything beyond dragging himself to their doorstep didn't help either.

The Uchiha self-consciously lifted his hand and arm to touch the bandage on his head. The wound was healing and less blood was showing up on the white gauze each day. Whatever caused that wound also caused his loss of memory.

"Sasuke?"

The soldier groaned, there he thought he was going to a few minutes shut eye.

"What?" he said groggily, softly.

"How are y-you feeling?"

Sasuke sighed and kept quiet for a few seconds. In truth, his head hurt like crazy, for some reason he was suffering a huge stomachache, and his casts were making his legs itch.

"Do you have a hanger?" he said instead.

"Oh, for your cast? Yes, I-I'll go get one," Hinata said and left hurriedly. Sasuke sighed, a few seconds of quiet were granted to him.

The wounded man began to close his eyes, drifting back into sleep.

_Sasuke!_

Sasuke's eyes shot open immediately, which granted him more pain. That voice, it was very familiar. It wasn't either of the Hyuuga's. It was a man's. Someone Sasuke could only identify at that moment as a friend.

He had forgotten about that. He couldn't sleep. Ha-ha, how could he forget that? Every time he closed his eyes, he'd hear that same voice, calling over and over the same thing. _Sasuke! Sasuke!_ And if he was lucky, he would hear something else: _Come back with me!_ _Stop!_ For some reason, hearing these few words replay over and over in his head like a broken record was haunting. He couldn't close his eyes. So, either he learns to sleep with them open, or he gets to the bottom of this. The tired Uchiha chose neither.

There was a small tap on his shoulder and then a white iron hanger lingering in front of his face now. Sasuke took it and thanked Hinata softly and instantly abandoned the idea of sleeping. Hinata sat next to Sasuke, her eyes scanning the garden animatedly.

"This place used to be a training ground," she said, "H-Hanabi used to come here with our cousin and train all the t-time."

_So, Hinata renovated it when…she bought this land?_

"I made it into a g-garden when I bought the land."

_Ah._

"It used to grow vegetables, too, but I wasn't s-so good at that," she looked up to the man in the wheelchair next to her. She saw that his head was titled to the left and that his head was rested on the back of the seat, but he wasn't sleeping.

"Are you tired? This place has that effect on p-people," she said and yawned. Whether or not that was intentional was only known by Hinata.

Sasuke didn't, nor did he want to, respond to her question. Instead he chose to ask, "Why are you no longer a ninja?"

Hinata didn't answer for a very long time. It was like she was carefully thinking over her answer or trying to find the nicest way to tell Sasuke to "mind his fucking business". Either way, it was taking her too long to answer.

"I am not fit," she said finally. She was looking down and nervously poking her two index fingers together, "to b-be a kunoichi. Everyone knows it. I felt that…it was better to give up my career as a ninja. I would t-take care of Hanabi instead."

Sasuke was not fazed by what she had confessed. It wasn't because he thought it was true, or thought that was a huge cop-out on Hinata's part to quit and if that she really felt that way he'd leave it alone because he always thought people were entitled to choice…even if it was a stupid one, it was because he thought…

"You're lying through your teeth."

Hinata's eyes grew wider, the pale orbs jumped around a little. It looked like she was seconds away from crying, "H-huh?"

"I don't know what the _real_ reason is and honestly, if you don't want to tell me the truth, I'm fine with it, just please...be a better liar. Hell, you could have just told me to go screw myself if you didn't want to say anything. I have only known you for six days and I can already tell when you're lying. Six. Days. I can already tell that you have a better personality than what you just told me you had."

"But…" Hinata was about to object, but then stopped herself. She rested her head in her lap…so much for getting to know _Sasuke_ better. She is the one who is more conscious than the other right now! In fact, she's been awake far more hours than the Sharingan user has since he came to her home! And yet, the Uchiha seems to know her better than she knows him.

She knows that he sleeps on his side. She understands that one of his eyes has better sight than the other (only by a small bit). She can understand that he is stubborn, that he can't express his feelings as well as she'd like. She hears how on some nights, in his sleep, he speaks out loud. But never has she actually gotten to know this stranger for who he is on the inside; at least more in-depth.

"I've got to go to the bathroom," Sasuke said and rolled into the house.

Hinata nodded, her head was still nestled in between her chest and knees. She kept thinking about what he said. He had said that he knew she had a better personality than what she just displayed. Well, what exactly did she imply her personality was like? For one, it screamed coward. Was Hinata a coward? She had to admit, she used to be. She used to run from her problems and never look back. But now, she has changed. She fought, and even though sometimes she lost the battle, she could always count on herself to get back up again. It took courage to be able to look after all of these soldiers and her sister at the same time. Could Sasuke have seen that? The strength she held inside her, could he have realized it?

For another, what she said completely implied that she had the mind of a quitter, a selfish person entirely. Could he have seen with those eyes of his, that she was the complete opposite of this? Is that why he deemed her the only negative thing that fit her at that moment? It was not cowardice, nor was it selfishness, and it was never her being a complete and utter defeatist.

She was a liar. Plain and simple. And apparently, she was a terrible liar.

_I'm sorry for lying; I just can't tell you that…you'd hate me even more._

"Hinata!"

For the first time in a long time, Hinata felt down enough to actually think:

_What the hell does Neji want now?_

_

* * *

_**So...yup. Thanks for reading Chapter 4.**

**In a previous chapter..I don't remember which it is but it was the one where Sasuke first debuted. Anyway, I made a mistake. Naruto was not incarcerated, he was hospitalized. So if any of you were thinking, "Naruto got arrested? !" don't because it's not true. He's in the hospital.**

**Also, I've got this whole story planned out. All it takes now is writing it. This is the first time in writing a story of mine that I actually know the beginning to the end. So the updates should go a lot smoother.**

**Thanks! Please review!**

**~M.o.t.C  
**


	6. Chapter 5

_/UPDATE/_

_Yes, I had uploaded this chapter on 4/2/10 and taken it down on 4/3/10. There is a reason for this. I had received a review of sorts from a reader and what they wrote shocked me:_

_Someone ACTUALLY critiqued what I had put up! OH LORD, HALLELUJAH!_

_Admittedly, I've been slipping these passed few months, I know I have. It's a combination of a lot of things that have been going on in my life and the want and desire to write has diminished greatly and I'm just starting to feel like my writing is worth something again. _

_But here's the thing, I was trying so hard to get a chapter out to you guys that I abandoned probably the one thing that means the most to me: quality. Therefore, I am not angry with this person for pointing out holes in my timing (esp since timing is something I need to work on). In fact, I thank them for doing so. I, in actuality, am tired of all of the positive reviews. _

_? !  
_

_Yeah, I am. I want reviews that actually point out what needs to be fixed and changed. That's the only way I can improve. Tell me what I'm doing wrong. Which is why, the next time you decide to review this story, take time to think of one thing that I can improve for chapters and stories to come._

_/END/_

**Apologizes, no matter how many I type, can express the sadness I feel when I say this: It's been like, 200 years, hasn't it? I'm sorry for such a very long wait. Schoolwork, stress, tiredness, and lack of confidence (!) got in my way of updating all of my stories. I can not promise that I will update quicker, that would be unfair to all of you. I do want to say that my updates will be more bulky; so even if you have to wait a long time when you finally _do_ read it will be long and hopefully worth the wait.**

**Thanks and enjoy.**

* * *

There were many people that Sasuke Uchiha could go a lifetime without seeing again. He didn't like many people to begin with and sometimes conversations with those people would only deepen his resolve to never speak to them again. He never said this to Hinata, but she wasn't one of those people. Sure, her self esteem was low and she was too shy and timid, but, she never talked to him without a reason. Well, there was that one time about ten minutes before now in which she dragged him outside and then told him about things he really didn't care about. _Then_ she lied. But, it was only once and the Sharingan user was willing to let it slide. Anyway, the bottom line is there were few people he liked and many that he could do without meeting again.

Unfortunately, two of the latter type of people showed up in Hinata's kitchen and avoiding them was impossible.

"Hinata!" Neji Hyuuga shouted for the younger woman after spotting the injured soldier strolling freely around the home.

_Ergh, Hyuuga Neji. Damn._

The Uchiha didn't like this Hyuuga. He was cocky and arrogant. He was some "prodigy" or whatever and people worshiped him. He was some sort of genius and his skills with his Byakugan were above average so because of that, he received much praise. Really, he wasn't much different than Sasuke, but even then something about him didn't rub the right way with the Uchiha.

Behind him surfaced another person that he could _seriously_ live without seeing again. In fact, he preferred, for her sake, that she wasn't there. Anyone but her.

"S-Sasuke?" the pink-haired kunoichi stuttered, not believing what she was seeing. The injured Sharingan user sighed. He wanted to scoot out of town on his wheelchair, maybe crush a few of Neji's toes on his way out of the door, but no, whether he wanted to believe it or not, he still needed Hinata. He'd just have to sit there and listen to Haruno Sakura cry about him breaking her heart or whatever that was about.

"How could you just leave him there, Sasuke?" the woman shouted at the cripple (apparently this wasn't about her this time), "How could just leave N—" she was cut off by Neji's icy glare and a jab of his elbow to her side. Whatever this was about, Sasuke felt that the elder Hyuuga did not want him to hear it. Or, at least not this way.

Hinata appeared in the home moments later and Hanabi had just come downstairs, both were wondering what was going on and what Sakura was doing there with Neji. She seldom came over and when she did it was to supply medical supplies to the Hyuugas or talk to Neji. They were both fighting the same war after all and they were both on the same side and communication between them was crucial.

"H-hello, Sakura-san," Hinata greeted the kunoichi as she walked towards her.

Sakura made no effort to shake Hinata's hand or make eye contact with her. The pink-haired woman's eyes were locked on Sasuke's facial features. Hinata looked at Sakura to try to understand why her fellow Konoha citizen was looking so dazed, so out of it. The Hyuuga noticed that her eyes were locked on her and Hanabi's new roommate and reasoned that Sakura must have known him from somewhere.

"S-Sakura-san?" Hinata called the woman quizzically. She had to do so a few more times until Sakura finally responded.

"I-I'm sorry, uhm, hi, Hinata," she replied weakly, "h-how are you?"

"F-fine," which was all Hinata said for that matter, "what's wrong?"

Sakura only looked to Neji, which made Hinata flinch a little. She couldn't help but be skeptical and worried. No one was telling her anything and it was nerve racking. It was a few more seconds until apparently Sasuke got bored or something and rolled away into his room. Sakura almost chased after him but Neji stopped her with his arm, shaking his head. Sakura seemed to let go of the need to pursue him after that.

"N-not to be rude or a-anything, but why are y-you here?" Hinata asked once she had heard Sasuke's door shut.

"I'd prefer if we continue this conversation outside, Hinata," Neji said. Something about his voice made Hinata agree immediately. It wasn't his usual cynical and arrogant tone; it was like…his tone of voice when he told her that Tenten had died.

Hinata and Sakura followed Neji to the backyard and Hanabi felt that she could follow. That is, until Hinata stopped her.

"Uhm, Hanabi, it might be better if you stay inside. Go see if Sasuke needs anything and go…play with some friends or something."

"Uh…" Neji almost objected, but then shut his mouth before anything else could escape.

"First of all," the oh-so-sassy Hanabi began, "why do _I _always have to make sure he's happy? Do _I _care? No, I don't! Secondly, I'm not befriending anyone in this rinky dink town! The girls are stuck up and the boys think they'll be Hokage some day! Since that Uzumaki guy is Hokage now it'll be pretty hard for street-trash like them to live up to expectations-!"

"Hanabi!" Hinata raised her voice in anger. It wasn't often that Hinata became exceptionally angry but whenever she did you could be certain that all lack of confidence within her would be erased for a few seconds.

"I don't ever want to hear you talk about anyone like that ever again! Even the lowest of people can be great someday! And certainly the most privileged of people can become lowly! _Do you understand me?_" She said that last sentence with much gusto and used every bit of confidence she had.

Hanabi had never heard Hinata scream at her like that and Sakura didn't know that the timid girl had ever had that sort of strength in her. However, Neji knew this side of her well. A few years ago was a bad time to confront the former heiress with anything negative and oh-so-negative Neji obviously had to say something to her about _something_ and when he did…all Hell broke loose. She screamed at him and rage-fueled blush covered the entirety of her face and her Byakugan had involuntarily activated. It was certainly a sight Neji would never forget. Feeling a pang of anger and embarrassment, Hanabi ran upstairs and slammed the door.

"Hinata?" Sakura said, hoping the former kunoichi calmed down.

"I'm fine," Hinata said hastily, "I mean…she will be okay. She always is."

Hinata sparred no time with pointless conversation and led both of her ninja friends out into the backyard. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, casting a blanket of light over the flowers in Hinata's specially made garden. The wind blew softly, but with…purpose. It was like it was lightly trying to relay a message to her, maybe that the rest of her day would be just as beautiful as the scenery outside.

"So what's wr-wrong?"

Neji sighed and glanced at Sakura, whos head was down. Hinata stood before both of them and felt more and more uneasy with each passing second. She wanted to scream at them and demand to know what they were too scared to tell her. What, did they think she was going to jump off the nearest cliff if they so much as hinted at a sick relative or a bad tactical plan gone wrong or…a death?

"What?" Hinata exclaimed, almost screamed.

"N…Naruto," Sakura choked, "he's gone, Hinata."

Hinata's world seemed to crash around her. Her heart skipped a beat and her mind was flooded with the terrors of his death. He meant the world to her and though he thought infrequently about her, she thought every day about him. She was the happiest woman in the world when she had discovered the love of her life had achieved his life goal and his dream. He was a symbol of courage, confidence, and absolute godliness in her eyes. The mortal, however, was mortal after all and no matter what she thought Naruto could never achieve true godliness. Maybe that's what killed her about this whole thing the most.

Hinata looked down at that once beautiful green grass and the luscious flowers that filled her most happy thoughts now looked ugly and filled her with disgust. She dared not look into either Sakura's or Neji's eyes. She was afraid she see the despair in them, too, proving her worst nightmare to be fact.

Hinata sighed, "How?"

Neji decided to answer that, "Killed in combat. He wasn't supposed to be fighting though, but something…something happened seven days ago that landed him in the hospital and then…"

"And you think Sasuke did it?"

Sakura's head snapped up, "We never said—"

"I'm not stupid," Hinata said maliciously, "you both come in here screaming for me like there's a fire when all there is is an unarmed boy in a wheelchair. Obviously, you know him Sakura and apparently you do, too, Neji. Well…S-Sasuke doesn't remember anything, he hit his head pretty hard, doesn't know how he got it."

"Well maybe he said that he lost his memory because—"

"He didn't know I knew Naruto," Hinata interrupted Sakura. She could feel her anger mounting.

Sakura said not another word to Hinata; she understood the sadness and anger she felt. She knew it all too well. Sakura had felt that same sadness when she had received word of Naruto's death. Hinata had loved Naruto from the very beginning, so Sakura knew the amount of pain she must have been feeling. But then again, she didn't, did she?

"He…he couldn't have killed Naruto," Hinata said.

Neji scoffed, "You know this how?"

Hinata finally felt up enough to look Neji in the eyes, "He's not that type of p-person."

"Hinata, you've only known him for less than a week! How could possibly fathom what exactly Sasuke is capable of?"

"It can't be h-him," Hinata cried, "It just _can't_, Neji."

Sakura couldn't take it anymore, "What, Hinata, do you know about him? I don't want to believe it either, but he was _there_ when Naruto disappeared. He and Naruto have had encounters like this before it was only a matter of time before one of them took their rivalry too far!"

"Y-you, of course, given your…_reputation_, probably only saw his looks and th-thought nothing about how he actually is! He's a good person, I _know_ he is!"

Sakura was hurt if nothing else. She had never heard Hinata speak to anyone like that. She never imagined her to actually speak her mind to people and this was completely uncharacteristic of her. The kunoichi continued to blame her behavior on the recent news, though her gut guessed otherwise.

"I," Hinata began, noticing her error, "I apologize S-Sakura; that was completely out of l-line." Sakura only looked at her.

Hinata spoke again, "Okay, what if I ask him about it? About Naruto, I mean. Maybe what he says will convince me."

"No," Neji interjected, "he may be crippled, but that doesn't mean his brain has gone to mush. You'd have a better chance at taking him to the funeral and have him take a look at Naruto, thus either revealing his guilt through his facial features, or having his amnesia about the events alleviated."

Hinata smiled. She knew he was being sarcastic, but the idea was just too good to pass up.

"I'm going to bring him to the funeral." 

* * *

Sasuke waited for Hinata come bounding into his room like she always did, preparing to talk his ear off about his recovery speed and her garden. However, for a long time she never came and when she did, Sasuke could sense something was wrong with her. She was sad and...didn't look at him the same way. He couldn't figure it out. Had he done something that he wasn't aware of? Hinata Hyuuga usually looked bubbly and happy when she looked into his eyes, but now...there was only a mild sense of happiness.

"Hinata," he said as she changed his bandages that night, "did I do something?"

Oh, he chose his words all too perfectly.

She looked at him, "Did you do something to make you think that I think you did something?"

_Ugh...I hate it when people do that, _he thought, _just like my mother._

"No."

"Then no," she said and went back to her bandaging.

_At least...I _hope_ that's a no._

* * *

In the few days past, Hanabi had warmed up to Sasuke Uchiha and his personality and Sasuke had really come to respect and feel less contempt for Hinata. Hinata had remained how she had been ever since he had first met her. She was kind, caring, compassionate, yet timid and soft-spoken. Hinata still changed Sasuke's bandages and sometimes helped him get ready for a very uncomfortable bath, but he was getting used to the feeling and was learning how to do so without her and she felt that in no time he would no longer need her.

For some reason, this discouraged her. She guessed it was because she actually enjoyed having him around. He had an attitude and he didn't really talk much, but he listened and was always willing to help her with whatever she needed help with, within his limitations of course.

"Uchiha-san," Hinata said one evening, as the three tenants of the home sat down and ate breakfast together, "you seem to be recovering nicely. D-do you want to go back to your platoon?"

He barely looked up from his plate, "You're asking me if I want to go back to the smell of sulfur and mustard gas. If I want to go back to the deafening sound of paper bomb explosions and the screaming of the injured. You're asking me if I want to go back to starvation and feverish cold. _That's _what you're expecting me to just welcome with open arms, 'Come and get me war! I love you!'"

Hinata wanted to say, "I get it! Damn!" but she held her tongue and said, "Sorry..."

"Sis," Hanabi spoke up, "I don't know why he's complaining, taking care of him has been _much_ harder than war."

Hinata laughed and Sasuke scowled at the young girl from across the table.

* * *

Hinata came into Sasuke's room after dinner that night to check his wounds.

She looked dully at him as she undid the bandages already wrapped around his healing head.

"You said," she began as she combed through his hair with her hands. She was hoping to observe the progress in the healing of her head wound, "that you did not remember h-how you got this, right?"

"Right."

"Do...d-do you remember anything else about that day?"

Sasuke actually put thought into this. He was wondering the same thing himself. What did he remember about that day?

_Sasuke! Come back! Sasuke..._

"A voice...that's it. Someone was calling me. I don't know who though and I don't recognize the voice," he replied.

The Hyuuga nodded in acceptance, willing to move on from that, but then Sasuke had a question of his own.

"Why?"

Hinata, for once, could not answer this question of his with either a truth or a lie.

"Curiosity, I suppose," she said finally.

"Hn. Maybe there's a reason that I can't remember what happened that day."

Hinata looked up in surprise. That was the closest she had gotten to a deep, thoughtful statement from the stoic ninja. She started to wonder about that very same question. There was always a reason for everything right?

"Uchiha-san," she said after she tightly wound the bandage on his head, "do you know about the Hokage? The new one?"

"Yeah, Uzumaki Naru-"

He stopped cold. Something about that name resonated in his mind, but the two things would not connect. He sat there for a good ten seconds, mulling over the name in his mind.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"I...don't remember him," he said finally.

Hinata looked at him quizzically, wondering what was wrong with him. She left him alone in the room and turned off the lights.

The funeral would be tomorrow.

...Returning to the Hidden Village... 

* * *

**Yeah, that Hanabi rant thing was just a little something to increase tension, hopefully leading up the question that's been on everyone's mind. So, stay tuned if you can wait long enough.**

**Ah, I think I need help. I'm in love with SasuHina way too much.**

**~M.o.t.C  
**


	7. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the wait! Please enjoy! Don't forget to leave honest, critical reviews!**

* * *

Adorned in black. Everyone in Konoha was adorned in black. One of the darkest days since the Third Hokage died, who left leaving a feeling of sadness and bitterness at the world for the Leaf villagers to sort through. Uzumaki Naruto's death, the man who had dreamed of leading the village who had scorned him ever since he was a child, would lead that same fate.

"Why am I here?" Sasuke wondered aloud. It almost received a slap to the face from Hinata, but she was too sad and angry to care.

Hinata couldn't get mad at him anyway, she _hadn't_ ever told him why he was brought along; or why he was shrouded in black, stood in front of by Hinata. Hanabi securely took a spot behind him after being instructed to by her sister. It was like they were his bodyguards or something. It was uncomfortable. He felt helpless again. Before, if anyone were to attack him, he would have done away with the threat immediately and been on his way before the assailant's body hit the ground. But now, but here, he was broken, exposed, and an easy target. It was like being stark naked in front of all of these people. It made him feel significantly colder.

An elder took a spot beside a picture of Naruto at his inauguration into becoming Hokage…the 7th Hokage of Konoha. It was nostalgic for Hinata, who was front and center at her dearest friend's inauguration. She felt sick again, like his murder was her fault. Like if Neji and Sakura could so easily blame Sasuke for this, maybe she could, too.

No. She refused. She prayed that this plan of hers would hold some results. Good ones. For her sake.

_Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder._

The funeral went on and on and Sasuke was getting bored. Well really, he was getting more and more disturbed. The cries, the moans, the sadness, it all made him quite disturbed on the inside. This especially when this sadness, moaning from the pain, and the cries of never ending sorrow came from Hinata. It was something that made him feel so strange, so…so much like an asshole.

He had lied to Hinata. He knew Naruto. Sasuke knew Naruto in ways some of these people _never_ have or ever will. They were brothers in Naruto's eyes and without admitting it, Naruto was a brother in Sasuke's eyes as well. Oh, how like a brother he was. But then they went their separate ways…never to speak again. He hadn't told Hinata this because she probably would have assumed that there was bad blood in between the two and maybe he _had_ found and killed Naruto. If _he_ couldn't be sure about something, Hinata shouldn't be.

Sasuke had not shed a single tear when one by one people spoke kind words about his once dear friend. Or when people were so sad, so distraught over his death, that they could not say a single sentence without letting out a sigh or moan or a tear. Why couldn't he be sad like that? They were friends, right?

No. That was a long time ago. It was the past.

Maybe the past was coming back to haunt him?

_What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,  
That he should weep for her? What would he do,  
Had he the motive and the cue for passion  
That I have?_

* * *

The funeral moved on slowly for Sasuke, it was like what he imagined Hell to be. Moans and cries…never ending moans and cries. For Hinata, it was agonizing as well, but for different reasons. What if Sasuke _did_ show signs of being Naruto's killer? How could she, who just lost the love of her life, handle losing someone like Sasuke? How could she handle knowing that the man who had come to be like a dear friend to her, killed the man whom she loved so dearly? Hinata couldn't. She couldn't accept that. She accepted that she couldn't accept it. But, what were to happen if these fears came to pass? Then she would be accepting that she couldn't accept something that now became acceptable! It was a haunting paradox that she couldn't wrap her brain around. Maybe if she just killed herself now all pain and suffering would end, her mind could be at ease…

"Hinata," Hanabi began, after the tribute, "the wake is starting now."

The moment of truth was here. It seemed now that the curtains were rising, the play was about to begin. Cast and characters were all together, Sakura and Neji beside Hinata as Hanabi was wheeling Sasuke in between them. It was the most agonizing moment of Hinata's life and more tears fell, maybe this time they were not for Naruto, but maybe for what Hinata was about to lose. She was about to lose it all.

_Why am I clinging to Sasuke so much?_, she thought as the line moved at a deathly slow pace.

Finally, Hinata's time had come to say goodbye forever to Naruto Uzumaki, the person who gave her so much hope for the world. He looked so peaceful in his eternal rest. His eyes were shut, his mouth was slightly curled up, like he wanted to smile for the world, one last time. It brought more tears out of the former kunoichi's eyes.

"I…I just…" she had a hard time getting her words out, "I just want to thank you Naruto, fo-for every-th-thing. I…l-love you." And just like that, she moved aside as Sasuke got his turn.

"Is there anything you would like to say, S-Sasuke?" Hinata asked the crippled man as she sniffled and wiped her face.

Sasuke looked at his friend's body. Naruto's lower half was covered by a white blanket. Was he so mangled down there that the covering was necessary? It made Sasuke cringe inside. His eyes scanned up the corpse and stopped on a single point. There was a large, jagged burn mark on his face, like he was burned with fire or…

"Lightning," he mumbled.

"What?" Hinata said, her heart trying to escape from her chest.

"He was burned," he said clearly, "what a way to die."

Hinata, Neji and Sakura studied his face hard, though they tried not to call attention to their staring. His face was relaxed, but his eyes were filled with sorrow. It certainly did not prove he was a killer. Earlier that evening, Neji stated that he thought that this might be the case and instructed Hinata and Hanabi to study him over the next week or so to see if shows any sign of remembrance or guilt.

Hinata's heart and mind were not at ease yet and would not be for at least another week.

Just then, as everyone was about to move on and let the next few people say goodbye to their leader, Hanabi and Hinata heard a sniffle that was neither of theirs. They looked back at Sakura and Neji's faces which were completely devoid of tears at this point. Then, Hinata and Hanabi's eyes strayed towards Sasuke Uchiha's face, the cold-hearted man with a chip on his shoulder had two tears rolling down his countenance.

Hinata Hyuuga scrutinized Sasuke; her eyes were full of bewilderment and fear.

Did this mean Sasuke remembers?

Did this mean she would lose him? Forever?

_The play's the thing  
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King…_

* * *

**Cool points to anyone who can tell me were all these italicized lines come from! They may not be completely accurate, seeing as I got them offline...(because someone felt the need to steal (literally, _steal_ right from out of the classroom!) my [blank! Hint: Shakespeare] book in the 8th grade ._. ) but I just _had _to use them! They were perfect for this chapter!**

**This chapter was kind of dark and I wanted to leave it that way so that's why I did not move on from this funeral and why this chapter is so short. I _wanted _you guys to leave depressed believe it or not. (Haha, I'm crazy like that!)**

**So yeah...Until next time!**

**~M.o.t.C**_  
_


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